Delhi Riot Case: SC denies bail to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam, grants conditional bail to 5 others

The Supreme Court held that bail cannot be granted to Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam at this stage under UAPA.

The matter arose from the 2020 Delhi riots case, where a Special Cell FIR alleged a larger conspiracy behind the violence that followed clashes during protests linked to the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The Court granted conditional bail to Gulfisha Fatima, Meeran Haider, Shifa ur Rehman, Shadab Ahmed, and Mohd Saleem Khan, stating that each bail plea must be assessed separately as the alleged roles are not equal.

It also noted that prolonged pre-trial custody and trial delay can still invite judicial scrutiny even in UAPA cases.

[Umar Khalid v. State of NCT of Delhi; Sharjeel Imam v. the State of NCT of Delhi]